Hallowed Promise
by Aura
Summary: Kagome having lost her family, has only the grail left as an option to return to the past and the only loved ones that still remain. She takes the risk of summoning the King of Heroes as she wants her best possible chance at winning. Is she really ready to stomach what it takes to be a participant of the grail war? Can she deal with the servant she pulls? M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Swift Disclaimer: I do not own any parts of the Fate or Inuyasha franchises. This is purely for entertainment purposes; no profit is to be made as a result of this fiction.

Comments: I got it in my head to basically combine/reinvent a couple fictions I had involving my favorite fate character (Gilgamesh is the best king/hero) and favorite fan fiction hoe (Kagome is super easy to adjust to other worlds and is a good character in general imo) There will be parts of both that are taken from other fics. If you dislike that – you were already warned. There will eventually be some citrus, I will try to make note of it at the beginnings of chapters where it happens. It's rated M for that reason.

**Hallowed Promise Chapter One:** _Bring Me to Life_

_"Without a soul, my spirit sleeping somewhere cold. Until you find it there and lead it back…home."_

_-Evanescence, **Bring Me to Life Lyrics**_

_Limbo._

_Extinction, pure nothingness, undiluted emptiness…_

_The void within the black sludge of the grail was the abyss. The torment, curses, or tears would have been preferred to the purgatory of naught. It took the grail time, but eventually it found the best method by which to torment me. Nightmarish images, hellish agony meant little when compared to the vacuum of oblivion. The best method by which to torture me wasn't pain. It was to eclipse my soul, to forfeit my mind. It was the complete disregard of all things. Amnesia, not just of the world, but of myself. Nothing could glimmer if it lacked even a pinprick of light. Exhaustive unawareness ravaged my spirit until even gold began to rust._

**_The Sixth Holy Grail War_** _– _

The chill evening breeze made a poor neighbor to the trees, knocking inhabitants of the branches into the air where they settled on grass or pavement. Trampled over by the rushed footsteps of a figure darting glances along the vacant, shadowed street. A large canvas wrapped bundle was nestled into the crook of an arm as the figure slipped up to the door. The knocker rattled as it was pounded, shattering the quiet night. A muted cry of admittance from beyond came just before the door slammed shut followed by the click of a lock. Then silence enveloped the street again.

Inside the figure lingered in the entryway, glancing back out the glass to the side of the frame as if to assure the returned peace outside. Free hand pulled off a hat then straightened ginger hair, foot tapping lightly on the hardwood floor. A door opened nearby, streaming ribbons of light into the hall around a silhouette that hurriedly approached.

"Finally…" They both said at once. One a delighted exclamation, the other a disquieted murmur.

"Did you retrieve what I asked?" The silhouette spoke, a young woman slowly coming into focus as eyes adjusted to the new illumination level.

"Yes, this is what was you asked for." The figure handed the bundle over gingerly, pieces of dirt caked in the crevasses of the fabric raining to the hardwood floor. The thief wiping hands on their pants once they'd let go. "The owners hadn't noticed when I was there, but they probably will soon. It wasn't easy to get. I don't think I was followed, but I'd like to take my leave."

"Payment is in the mailbox outside." A wave over a shoulder as girl turned around. Carrying the bundle back toward the door she'd entered from. "Lock the door on your way out."

"Don't have to tell me twice." The figure slipped back out the door, eyes alert as their feet crinkled over the freshly fallen leaves, happy to stop only long enough to grab an envelope before taking hurried steps away from the home.

**_Basement of the Tohsaka Household – _**

Slow breathing. Fill the lungs deeply and then let the air back out. Repeat.

Keeping myself calm and steady was a large part of what I was about to do. If I wasn't careful, this could go exceptionally wrong. I opened my eyes to look at the room around me. The basement was glittering, gold, jewels, expensive pieces of art or technology were haphazardly piled into the middle of a large circle accented with arcane writing. Only one small area near the center where I would stand for the spell and place my catalyst remained free of the expensive paraphernalia. The circle itself had come with the estate, but the gold dust that had been settled into the grooves to essentially 'draw' the mystical icons had blown through most of the allowance I'd been given regarding the family inheritance money for the month.

Tohsaka. The name still felt foreign. I barely knew it, but I appreciated being connected to it. It had afforded me the chance to participate in a grail war. A chance to travel through the well again, to get back to my friends. It was the only drive I had left once I'd lost my family in the accident. If this shot at a wish was the only thing my father ever gave me, then I'd do everything possible to get it. Even if it meant cheating, stealing, or killing. What good had it done me to always do the right thing? What sort of karmic justice had ever come from my fighting against the darkness?

Walking to the center area I took the bundle with me. I carefully unwrapped the thick cloth the bandit I'd hired had brought to me, ignoring the patches of dirt still coming off the outside. It was what was within that interested me; I had to admit a morbid curiosity at the ivory colored bones and dust. I'd known what to expect, old journals of my half-sister had detailed out a lot involving the last grail war. That her friends had taken the removed right arm of the powerful Archer servant that had nearly destroyed the world. This was a risk, that I knew too. Yet, if I wanted the strongest servant then I had to use extreme measures. The former participants of the war that had owned these remains were sure to panic the moment they realized someone had dug into their garden, but by then it would be too late. I only had a few more minutes before I'd start the spell.

I glanced over the words again, reading it to myself as I practiced the movements. I'd gone through this countless times; I didn't really need the guide anymore. I hadn't been a magus long, but I'd been a priestess for many years. Calling on the power wasn't the problem, I had plenty of that. Using the spells of magi took more concentration than my priestess abilities. I needed though to remain focused, which I wasn't always good at.

The room glittered, sparks of yellow reflecting from the trove of treasures I'd gathered. I wanted to leave nothing to chance, the likelihood of my success wasn't exactly high. After all, I was trying to summon a servant that was reported as destroyed by the grail itself during the events of the last war. Yet, I possessed his bones and that was an impressive catalyst by which to connect us. I bit my lip as I looked at the splintered remains and then shook my head to clear misgivings. It was too late to back out now, if I didn't summon a servant soon my seals would pass to someone else and the opportunity to return to my friends would disappear with them.

The records I'd studied stated that this servant did not take well to orders and I knew that meant dealing with them was dangerous. What was it all the reality television shows said? The bigger the risk the bigger the reward. I was aware of all the warnings, of the alarm bells ringing in the back of my mind, but there were facts that made the hazards worthwhile. He'd won, he'd won the fourth war, by Rin's description he should have won the fifth. The journal spoke as though it was luck alone that had kept him from success. That's the power I needed to get to the only people left I still loved.

My phone dinged in my pocket, time to begin.

Planting my feet slightly out so I'd move less I threw my right arm, hand open toward the sky, calling up the power within me. I knew I was strong enough, that I had enough personal mana to accomplish the summoning of an amazing Servant. The energy curled along the surface of my skin, crackling where my hair lifted from an unnatural wind. Will and focus allowed me to alter the flow of mana into the circle. The active mana fading into view as it curled into the lines and archaic runes, illuminating the room in a pale jade light. Flowing as liquid it slowly ebbed into the whole of the summoning area, then continuing to shift greedily over the gems, gold, and other treasures.

_The void shook, a fissure appeared…_

"Heed my words! My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny!" I spoke clearly, raising my voice as the breeze around me continued to curl through my hair. Papers rustled on the desk nearby and my small sheet detailing the ritual fluttered out of view. Several candles blew out but the illumination from the circle altered to a fiery orange as I continued the incantation. "If you heed the Grail's call. Obey my will and reason, answer me!"

_Emptiness shattered from nothing more than a single distant glimmer. That mote of light infinitely greater than the emptiness around it spiderwebbed across the gloom. A broken mirror of golden rays shimmering some unperceivable distance away. Flourishing as it raced closer and surrounded me, the blinding illumination swelling into a sphere of heat and pain._

The glow was becoming more refined, the red ebbing away into a bright amber that centered on the bones in front of me. That had to be a good sign, though I couldn't get distracted with premature congratulations or the spell would fail. "Thou, the seven days clad in the Great Trinity…"

_The words were obscure, simultaneously close quarters and out of reach. The smallest noise a din to shatter the chains of silence. Snapping back into reality was blinding, deafening, agonizing…yet what was there to do after countless years of isolation but embrace the suffering? I grasped the only moment that stood as any sort of definition in the void._

The ground cracked beneath the pressure of mana I poured into the spell. It didn't break the circle, so I continued, needing to yell over the din of wind that was curling through the basement tossing items away from the center or lifting them into the air. "…come forth from the circle of binding. King of Heroes!"

_King? _

Steam poured from the center of the circle. I was forced to cover my face to keep the hot air away, coughing and unsure if I'd succeeded as I squinted toward the bones. The earth shook again, and I still felt a drain on my mana from the casting. Then fingers grabbed my leg, in the mist it was difficult to make out everything, but I saw a white-knuckle just before a glimmer of auric dust and flesh covered it.

_The cloth was harsh beneath my fingers, but it was real, -I am real-. My muscles ached, sending lines of electrical protest along my nerves. Yet, even if it had been a bed of thorns, I'd have still used it to crawl out of hell._

A second hand formed on my shirt, dragging my body downward to face narrowed crimson eyes.

_Fractured memories slid through my mind as I used this girl as a grip by which to cling to the world. To drag myself away from the void. I had been gone, had lost myself, but was not forgotten. The terror in those blue eyes was also recognition._

This wasn't how a summoning was supposed to take place, my body and spirit both were strained from the energy still whipping around us, winds beginning to clear away the steam. I understood almost nothing of what was happening, or even if something had gone wrong but I knew absolutely whom I faced. I murmured his name as much in awe as in fear. "Gilgamesh…"

_The whispered reverence of my name was all it took. I wasn't just a random ruler with a title somewhere in history. I am -the- King. No average ghost, I am the King of Heroes. The greatest of heroic spirits. My form was remade by this girl's call and heed it I would. Mongrel or not, I owed her a debt. Now I need only seal our contract, to escape the grail's nihility I still needed more power. I reached up to grab her behind the neck, bringing our lips together._

He was warm, warmer than I expected considering the last thing I'd predicted was for him to kiss me. My entire body felt as if it was being burned and I shoved him back before he could continue. That hurt! How was he able to just rip open my magical circuits like that?! My entire body tingled from the experience, as if the whole of me was about to go numb.

I could only stare wide-eyed at the golden-haired man laughing on my basement floor, surrounded by the mess of treasures I'd gathered for this purpose. Somehow, even off his feet there was a magnetic grandeur of the celestial being I'd called forth. Even in his mirth he held an innate majesty that captured my tongue…held hostage my resolve. My knees gave way, offering accidental genuflection to the spirit that had appeared.

I'd done it, I'd summoned the King of Heroes…

**End Chapter**

Whee, well that was fun to revisit and revamp. 3 Gilgamesh. Poor Kagome.

-Aura


	2. Legend

**Hallowed Promise Chapter Two:** **_Legend_**

_"I can't stop 'til the whole world knows my name. 'Cause I was only born inside my dreams. Until you die for me, as long as there's a light. My shadow over you 'cause I am the opposite of amnesia."_

**-_Centuries Lyrics_, Fall Out Boy**

**Basement of the Tohsaka household - **

_My entire body ached, particularly my head. My spirit was drained and mana low after somehow escaping the grail. The void hadn't broken me, nothing in any world was truly capable of that…but I felt bent. A new and undesirable sentiment. I fell away from the girl's shove and into a large pile of coins and jewels largely because keeping my feet after such an escape was difficult. It wasn't the most comfortable summoning I'd ever experienced, but the agony was a delight compared to the lack of it. I couldn't help but laugh at the scene around me. The fact that I again had a form with which to feel anything was a delectable twist given what effort had been put into trapping me. _

_My existence was an absurd thing, beyond mortality despite only being partly divine. I'd chased immortality once years ago but only found fools' gold. I'd given up on the concept, but now. Now I realized I'd been both correct and not about death being the reason to enjoy life. I'd already seen the end, and I never intended to do so again. The void had given me all the greater thirst to appreciate everything, just not in the manner I expected…_

The girl fell to her knees, staring at me in suitable amazement. She was still young, probably in her late teens or early twenties, but that was still older than several servants I'd seen in previous wars. Long wavy dark hair fell around her face, bangs just above her wide, bright blue eyes. She wore some manner of uniform, so I expected she was still in college. She reached up to touch her lips, not seeming to know how to react to what I'd done.

Opening magical circuits was dangerous, but I'd lacked the time to hesitate. I'd been a mage in one of the many lives twirling through my head. Instinct had covered whatever subconscious knowledge had not, and just as well since I could still feel the connection allowing mana to flow into me even without contact. The proximity alone was enough to draw energy and I lounged where I'd fallen, content to take in the world. The room was in tatters, and dark save a few candles near stairs leading up. The summoning circle worked into the now cracked earth beneath our feet no longer glowing now that I'd fully materialized.

"I'm compelled to ask you," The words flooding into my mind as a part of the ancient magic of the grail war. "Are you my Master?"

"I am." She stated with conviction; for someone rising from their knees. "I'm Kagome. Kagome Higurashi."

"I can't believe it actually worked…" She muttered lowly.

"Uncertainty. You are an inexperienced Magus." I observed, the coins clinking as they shifted with my weight when I took my feet. My armor fading away into the black and white clothing I preferred when blending into the mortal world. I glanced back to the treasures, waving my hand to let them fall into my Gate of Babylon. They were offerings for me, after all. "What did you use as a catalyst? Did you get ahold of that snakeskin again?"

"Uh…" She looked unsure of how to answer, as if still coming to terms that I was here. I offered a slow smile which seemed to spur her to words. "I used your arm…well, what was left of it."

I recalled the young mortal magus and his slipping close enough to remove the catalyst the girl spoke of shortly before I'd been trapped. Ironic that his lucky strike would be the requirement of my return.

"Where did you come by my arm?" I asked, flexing the fingers as I rolled my shoulder.

"I had someone dig it up for me. The last person that uh…defeated you…had it buried in their garden." She had the sense to sound nervous about mentioning my loss in the previous war. I didn't sour until she mentioned how she'd come to possess my lost limb.

"They put me in their yard, like fertilizer?" I snapped at the notion of it, did they think I'd let such an insult stand? "Where are they?"

"They aren't a part of the war this time around." She said, shaking her head at my question. "Which reminds me, we should get moving. I only came here to make sure I had the best chance at summoning you. This isn't where I stay."

She'd turned to leave but took several steps backwards as I appeared in front of her. "You haven't answered my question."

Her brows lowered, lips curling into a frown.

"Look, Gilgamesh." Her tone was notably lacking respect this time and I narrowed my eyes. "I get that you don't like what happened. I do. I'd be pissed too. But we can't just wander around half-cocked and have you take on Saber right now. I'm already exhausted, and from what I can tell you aren't exactly running on a full tank of mana. Whatever happened with the summon just now, it wasn't normal…we need to get somewhere and lay low to recuperate, so we have more strength behind us. Then you can go murder Saber and Shirou both if you want, as long as you win me the war."

Her exasperation was followed by her disregard for those not involved in the war. Was she unconcerned with the usual rules then? At first glance, I wouldn't have pegged her as a rebel. Her reasoning was sound enough, my body felt lethargic.

"No need for that expression." I shrugged lightly, then took a step closer to her, leaning down and staring until her resolve broke enough that she glanced away. "You might be the most useful mongrel I've come across for a very long time, but know this, I won't continue to tolerate disrespect."

I left her to consider the warning and walked toward the steps. I could have dematerialized, but I wanted to maintain my form. I walked up from the peasant's basement just to feel something solid beneath my feet, to hear the creaks of the wood reacting to my weight. The reflections of my presence something I needed after what had happened. It was weak, but also a new indulgence. Even tiny motions, sounds, or textures I had a new appreciation for. My fingers trailing over the top of a marble table when I reached the ground floor.

"Do you have a coat?" The girl asked, having trailed up the steps behind me. She paused at a closet to pull out one of her own. "It's getting cold these days. You'll probably want something. I have an extra hoodie here if you want it. It's big for me, so it might be snug, but it should fit."

"I've little need for your tattered fleece." I remarked, I didn't even really need to worry about things like temperature. Now that I was a spirit again and lacking a fully physical form, I wouldn't need to concern myself with such details. For the sake of appearances, I added a black jacket with fur along the rim of the hood to my outfit.

"Sure, fine." I watched her stop herself from rolling her eyes. If only her effort to remain polite weren't so visible. "Let's go."

She walked out the door. She was right, that the air was more chill than in the house. Wind curled along the street knocking leaves from trees. Autumn closing in on winter then, a common time of year to start the grail war. She stepped away from the home and I followed, laughing when I saw it from the outside.

"The Tohsaka? Again?" I wondered if she was aware of what had happened in the fourth grail war. "Did you not give your name as Higurashi?"

"My father got around." She muttered, frowning at the comment. "I only learned I was related to the Tohsaka's early this year. Then, the grail war came along and I received seals. You can win it again, right?"

"For your service thus far, I'll forgive that ignorance. There isn't a servant that can stand against me. I, however, find little wisdom in ending the war. I'll pass on being sacrificed to the grail."

She paused and turned toward me, shocked yet again. "But, that's the point of the war…for you to fight and then return to the throne of heroes."

"Are you so certain the throne of heroes is where I'd return?" I was hesitant to believe the grail would be so kind. "I have no intent of allowing that to happen."

"Then, we'll find another way." She said seriously, starting to walk again. I'd anticipated more of an argument, but she'd wisely acquiesced. "The war doesn't have to end with your death. You survived it once before."

"I did, but do you have someone else in mind to sacrifice?" I knew nothing came easily with the grail.

"Anyone I have to." She stated without hesitation.

"Oh?" I smiled at the remark. "Your conviction surprises me. I can arrange it all, defeat of the other servants, a sacrifice suitable to power the grail, the proper methods to activate it so you'll garner a wish and I'll survive. What are you willing to barter away, I wonder?"

"Way I see it; I don't need to barter away anything." She answered bluntly, making it my turn to be surprised. "You clearly don't wanna return to wherever you were before I summoned you and given how you betrayed my uncle in the fourth war, I hesitate to make a deal with you."

"Your fearlessness would be admirable were it not pointed in my direction." I observed drily. "I must admit, you are more willful than our first meeting would imply. I'll enjoy breaking of you of that, eventually, but regrettably you are correct. I will kill whomever I must remain here, and it'd be a pity for all the dedication to your cause to go to waste. I'd expect you wouldn't want me pulling mana from another Master."

It wasn't the most subtle of threats, but it was a possibility. A spirit once summoned could end up with a different participant of the war than the master that called them. She knew it, given her mention of her uncle, whom I assumed was Tokiomi. She stopped walking and I grinned slowly. "A deal then…"

"Gilgamesh, I order you to remain loyal to me. For the length of this Grail War you are not allowed to forge contracts to any Masters other than me." She interrupted, and I winced at the burn echoed on the back of my hand. The magic curling across our connection and locking the order in as one I'd be forced to follow.

"Well," My tone had gone colder than the winds shifting by us. "As wasteful and unwise as your ancestor. Had we come to an agreement I would have kept my word."

"Shit…" Her hissed frustration didn't match the current conversation. Then she shoved me suddenly into an alley between the streets, pushing me until we had gotten a several feet inside. Had she gone mad? "You need to disappear, or whatever you do."

"Excuse me?" I raised a brow at her distastefully. "Have you lost your senses?"

"We need to hide. That was Shiro's car that came around the corner. I knew they'd figure it out, I just thought we'd get away from here before they decided to check out the Tohsaka house." The mongrel stated, as much to herself as to me. "Come on…no, no, what are you…"

I stepped away from where she was moving through the unlit path. If this person approaching was really the child that removed my arm and trapped me in hell, then I owed them a proper greeting.

"Stop it! We agreed you weren't gonna fight yet." She chased me down to grab my arm just before I reached the street.

I paused to take my limb back from her, we'd need to remedy this informal behavior soon. "I'm only going to buy us time, I'll wait until I can summon Ea to finish them."

"You'll still be seen!" She whined fruitlessly when I continued out of the alley. "We're supposed to be careful when we're out, so we don't become targets."

"Do you take me for Assassin? Hiding in the shadows like a criminal." I sneered at the concept of such a thing. "No, what point is there in remaining unseen, let them know what awaits them."

"Get back here." She hissed as I stepped into the path of the oncoming headlights.

I grinned at the way the horn cut off. An audible moment of the recognition of their fate. To the boy's credit, he blocked several blades that shot from my gates. Though he missed that it was a feint. He didn't know I could summon them from the ground. Even if he had, Enkidu wasn't a weapon he could replicate to block. The chains wrapping around the undercarriage of the vehicle. Using its own momentum my chains flipped it harshly into the air. I leaned slightly backward as the air born Toyota went over my head, offering a small wave at the shocked expressions of the two in the cabin. Then they were rolling down the hill in the front of the Tohsaka house. I doubted it would kill them, but it would pause or delay any current pursuit.

The exchange closed for the time being, I returned the few feet to my Master; her mouth was hanging open again. I reached over to push her jaw shut and gestured at the road. "We can continue on foot if you like, or I could summon a vehicle to get us to the intended destination faster."

**End Chapter**

Gilgamesh just needs Enkidu and physics/gravity when it comes to fighting an approaching car. LOL. Saber's probably so pissed right now. Someone ruined her garden and then Gil threw her off a cliff (literally). Don't think she'd pull off her Ahoge quite yet but close. Poor Kagome too. She's trying so hard to use tactics and Gil is just: ha, watch me roll this car.

_-Aura_


	3. Chapter 3

Author Note: For the sake of my fiction I'm saying that the Higurashi Shrine is in the same town that hosted the other grail wars. It's just easier tbh.

**Hallowed Promise Chapter Three:** **_Special_**

_"When you were here before, couldn't look you in the eye. You're just like an angel. Your skin makes me cry. You float like a feather, in a beautiful world…"_

_-Creep Lyrics, **Radiohead**_

**_The Higurashi Shrine – _**

A hum filled my ears, the absence of noise after the engine died. I let out a breath and slowly let go of the seatbelt where I'd been gripping it. I kept picturing the car I'd seen flip over the cliff earlier in the night every time he weaved in and out of traffic. Relieved to be back to my home and even more content the trip was over. It was a distance between my family's shrine and the Tohsaka house. Normally I took several trains and busses. With his car we'd made it here in record time, though that was also attributed to his speeding.

Had he been doing it to keep me from berating him about his attack on Shiro and Saber? They weren't even participants of this war. He was adding enemies to our list that we didn't need. Then, given how they'd murdered him and put him somewhere horrible by his description I had a hard time blaming him. I'd be pissed if someone murdered me too.

I stepped out of the gold trimmed Camaro, glad to have pavement beneath my feet again. Glancing back to a glimmer of light to see the car was already gone. I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to Gilgamesh's strange power.

"Do you really have access to everything possible?" I asked, I hadn't talked much on the way here unless you included squeaks of fear and grunts of discomfort. I knew that a connection to my Servant was key by the other research I'd done. Those with good connections had a better chance at the wish when all this violence ended.

"All the treasures of the world that have ever been, or will ever be, fill my vault." He stated, smug at my admiration of his ability. Or just the usual level of smug, I wasn't sure yet.

"So, you have more weapons than just swords and spears? Like the chains you used earlier?" I wanted to try and understand what he could do, cause unlike him just throwing himself stupidly in front of enemies I wanted a strategy to all this.

"The chains of heaven, Enkidu. They're unique even amongst treasures, they can entrap even gods." He explained as he followed me up the steps. At least he wasn't complaining about the climb.

"That's pretty cool." I had to admit, I'd read a little bit about his powers but there wasn't a ton that was detailed. "Any other unique beauties like that I should know about?"

"Your attempt to be shrewd has failed. You need not concern yourself with Ea, you'll have the honor of witnessing the sword of rupture drawn before this war concludes." Gilgamesh acted as if it was something I should simper and bow over. Then, he put off that image in general about a lot of things. I kept walking up the steps.

"So, if you have everything, couldn't you just use killer robots to murder the rest of the servants or something?" I knew that large weaponry like nukes would be against the inherit rules against involving civilians unless some part of the war was witnessed on a massive scale.

"You would have me use mongrel's toys as opposed to my own hands?" He shook his head. "While I'd rather not dirty my hands on the serfs, it wouldn't work. Other servants hold no candle to me, but do you believe mere metal constructs would harm them?"

"Uh, I guess not." I stated, then blinked at him. I had meant it as a joke. "Wait, you do have an army of robots?"

"Your home is remote. It will make it easier for other servants to ambush you if they discover this is your residence." Gilgamesh altered the subject instead of answering my question. "We could use that to our advantage, bait them here."

"Nope." I shook my head at him. "You can't do that. I have people that come and take care of the place in the day. They'll notice if you blast holes all over the grounds, not to mention how much I'd have to pay extra to get it fixed."

He started laughing at my comment, a rolling resonant mirth that shook his shoulders as he bent forward slightly. "Your concerned about money? Money? When all the wealth in the history of mankind lays in my vault?"

His voice was lighter with the continued convulsions. Eventually dying down from hilarity to cheer, as he wiped beneath his eyes. "Ah, that was good. I'll make certain before we part ways that you are reimbursed for damages."

Did he have to find it that funny? He hadn't even listened when I said. I turned toward him once we reached the top of the steps.

"Look, money aside. I don't wanna fight here." I said, knowing I had let irritation slide into my voice. I gestured around at the shrine as I spoke. "This place is my home. There are things you can't replace with money if they are destroyed. I don't want to risk it being damaged in the first place."

I backed up a step at the dangerous glint that entered his gaze. The amusement was gone, reminding me why I needed to at least pretend to be reverent. Gilgamesh might have poor personality, but there was power in his veins. He wasn't an average spirit; he was a divine spirit. Sure, I had the blood of a priestess, but he was part god. If I truly broke his patience, I wouldn't survive to the end of the grail war.

"Is your conviction so thin you would question my authority over sentiment?" He stepped closer and I backed up again, my nervousness earning me a wicked half-smile. "Are you not a Master of the grail war? Did you not previously utter you'll do whatever it takes?"

"I am, I did…" I admitted nervously, still backing up as he slowly followed me. I was pretty sure I knew what the mice Buyo used to track down felt like before they were caught. "I just…"

"Just?" He interrupted, closing the distance when I ended up with my back against a tree. "Are you a military tactician? Do you know the nuances of war? Young for a general."

His arms settled to either side of me just before I was able to duck to the side. Yep, I was the mouse in this game.

"I'm not, I just…" I swallowed nervously, his proximity pulling at my mana and making me dizzy. Why was he like this? I could feel the warmth in my cheeks, hear my heart racing against my chest. I couldn't think to form what I wanted to say. "I'm sorry."

That wasn't it. Of all the many things I was, sorry wasn't it. Yet the apology bubbled up and out of my mouth anyway. Subjected to that terrifying scarlet gaze my body and mind had gladly kicked my pride under the bus. At least I hoped it was a measure of self-preservation. Particularly since he smiled a bit more after I said it. I resisted the urge to point out that I was far from apologetic while kicking him in the naughty bits. I'd lived so far. I needed that to continue if I was going to get back to the feudal era.

"You look quite vexed for someone blurting out amends." He observed, close enough his breath moved my bangs when he spoke. The anger had largely ebbed from his voice after my unintended concession. Instead, he sounded even more superior than usual, his tone infused with self-satisfaction. "My presence does tend to blur one's judgment. Was there something else you wished to say?"

_So much, you conceited nightmare…_

He was so close the hairs on my skin were standing on end. There was a hum through my body I couldn't explain. I wanted to reach out and touch him but was simultaneously uncomfortable at the concept. Was it because we were connected by the grail war? This felt like the intense charge just before I used magic. Was it because he connected our mystical circuits?

"Nothing then?" He prompted, reminding me we'd been arguing. Did it even really matter?

"Fun as uh, this is I guess." I managed to say despite my voice breaking slightly and the heat in my cheeks and neck. "I should get inside; I doubt we'll have a lot of time to rest and I need to sleep if I want to recharge my mana."

He smiled at my reply, even his damn lips were perfect…no one had a right to be this beautiful. I thought for a moment he might kiss me as he leaned in even more, but his head tilted so instead his whisper ticked my ear. "I've rested a long time…I could think of better methods to regain mana. But if you insist, lead the way."

Then he wasn't hovering over me, he was a few steps back gesturing toward my house and I took a deep breath, not even knowing until then I'd been holding it in. I swallowed, annoyed my mouth was still dry and walked toward the house to open it and let him inside. Trying not to think about how close he'd been or the static still dancing over the hairs on my skin as a result.

"It's not much, but there's a spare bedroom if you'd like to have it. I know you don't have to remain manifested to sleep but it's upstairs. Second on the right. The first on the right is my room. The bathroom upstairs is the first on the left. The kitchen is over there, this is the living area." I explained. For Tokyo my home was actually very large, but it came with the added cost of making sure the shrine was maintained. If it hadn't been for the unexpected inheritance of the Tohsaka estate I probably would have had to sell it. "Do you need to eat?"

"It's not required, though good flavors are still enjoyable." He answered, his coat vanishing before my eyes as I hung mine on the rack near the door. I replaced my shoes with house slippers, glad when he did the same. At least he wasn't completely devoid of manners.

"Well, make yourself at home, I guess. I'm gonna go sleep. I'm exhausted." I didn't have to lie about that. After the fierce exchange outside I felt even more tired, stumbling slightly as I walked to my room. I kicked off my skirt after unzipping it. Moving to the bathroom attached to the master to get my toothbrush. Brushing in bouts between taking off the rest of my uniform and putting on my pajamas. I swished water a few times and spit before wiping my mouth and cleaning my face. I would have preferred to take a full bath, but this tired that was a horrible idea. I might fall asleep and drown myself. I'd have to do it in the morning. I finished what I needed to in the bathroom and was delighted to crawl under the covers, ready to sleep. At least until I felt the warmth of another body near mine, an arm reach around my waist to hold me when I started to pull away…

"Calm yourself," He rumbled, his voice was discolored with tired as well. Fat chance of that. "I require mana, as I am now, I couldn't summon Ea. That needs to change."

"No offense," I muttered as politely as I could manage, which I'm sure wasn't much, "but you seemed plenty strong earlier when you sent that poor couple spiraling over a cliff with almost no effort."

"And if that 'poor couple' catches up to us, I'll require Ea if I am to fight them both at once." He pulled me closer, fingers trailing over the skin of my hip beneath the shorts I had on. "You might be a novice, but surely you are aware that contact between a Servant and Master encourages a better transfer of mana for both involved."

I was too tired to keep pulling away. I let out a sigh when he nuzzled into my hair. "That's all well and good, but if I'm completely drained, I won't be able to defend myself either."

This time I felt the rumble of his chest against my back when he chuckled. "You're my tether to this world mongrel. You'll be kept safe while the war progresses, I can't betray you remember?"

He had a point; I'd worded my command very specifically. He had to remain loyal. I was about to let it go, when I felt my shirt lifted and my eyes flew open again. My hand raising to stop him.

"Whoa…none of that." I blurted immediately. "Flesh contact or not, I'm keeping my sh…what the hell?"

My shirt disintegrated into golden dust, that was just cheating. I strained to escape him, but his arm might as well have been a steel cord. He pressed close again, the curves of his muscles against the skin of my back. He was warm to the touch, so much so that I kicked off my blanket and kept my sheet then immediately regretted it. Perhaps if I started sweating on him, he'd leave me alone.

That might still happen even without the blanket, did all heroic spirits feel like they were running a deadly fever? Was it because he'd been the king of Babylon? Was the desert itself infused in his body somehow?

Worse than the temperature, his fingers were tracing along my waist or caressing my hip lightly. For a guy always going on about being the best, he had zero concept of propriety. He'd kept his hands-off private areas so far, but he was exploring way more than he needed to for mana exchange. At least, I thought so, I didn't know enough about how it worked. It wasn't as if I had experience with this part of the supernatural world.

"Could you stop that?" I finally stated when his tracing my stomach tickled me and I convulsed slightly. "I get that you need mana, but to provide that, I require sleep. Which I can't get with you feeling me up."

"You'd said you were tired." He remarked, his own voice saturated with pleasant laziness. "If you are unable to rest, I could always wear you out."

I shook my head negatively despite the way my body ached at his words. "I said I need sleep. That is definitely not resting."

Not that I wasn't tempted. I hadn't touched or been touched by anyone since Inuyasha, and as embarrassed as I felt I'd also pined for a real connection for years. I knew this was manufactured by the grail; the logical part of my brain told me this was all a part of the grail war. That there was a mystical push to my being attracted to Gilgamesh. Yet, a part of me that wasn't pressed by the spell attaching us was still pleased not to be alone. Delighted by the idea of being wanted…even as I refused the offer to sleep with him.

"You need to relax, if you wish to sleep." He murmured, his breath warm in my hair. His voice was growing steadily more distant. He was closer to rest than I was. "Your mind is too busy. Let it go, you're safe."

Could he read my thoughts? Or just somehow knew I was overthinking? That brought a whole new series of questions. Though I had relaxed some at his suggestion, letting my body untense since he'd stopped trailing his fingers over my skin shortly after I'd asked. Safe huh? I wasn't sure that's how I'd describe feeling, but it wasn't long before my jumbled head quieted into the peace of unconsciousness.

End Chapter

Gilgamesh using poor Kagome as a battery amuses me.

-Aura

To my reviewers:

Thanks for the reads. I appreciate it : ) I am still slowly working on this while doing my other writing practice/project. I hope you enjoy Chapter 3.


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